[Explosive Advantage] Engaging in a Mental Battle with the Strongest Evil Spirit Since Birth, I Exceeded the Measurable Magic Limit – The Humble Conquest of the Cursed Child - Chapter 4

“Ogyahhh! Ogyahhhhhh!”

Despite it being the middle of the night, Kai suddenly woke up, crying.

“Ahh… Kai, good morning… You must be hungry.”

His mother, rubbing her sleepy eyes, offered him her br3ast.

(Delicious—! Mom, I’m sorry, but… this is just too delicious—!)

As a newborn, Kai woke up every three hours or so, desperate for milk.

This wasn’t anything special about him.

That’s just how newborns are.

However, there was one unusual thing—

【Alright! Now that my stomach is full… This time, for sure—!】

There was a malevolent spirit that tried to possess him every time he was fed.

(…Not happening.)

Each time, Kai held his breath.

【Agh…! Again…!? You little brat…!】

(Hah… Hah… I managed to hold him off…)

Whenever Kai held his breath and tensed his body, he somehow managed to resist Douma’s control.

However, Douma also seemed to be growing stronger with each feeding.

That meant Kai could never let his guard down.

“…Dear, don’t you think… this child…?”

“Yeah… And with each passing day, his magic reserves seem to be increasing…”

His parents exchanged glances each time they witnessed the strange phenomenon.

“Mayumi… Kai might grow up to be someone truly extraordinary.”

And so, three months passed.

After three months, Kai’s sleep cycle stabilized, allowing him to stay awake longer during the day and sleep more at night.

That led to a new problem for him.

(…I’m bored.)

By this point, Kai was awake for about ten hours a day.

But his body was still that of an infant.

He couldn’t walk, couldn’t even crawl—all he could do was roll over.

And his mother wasn’t using TV or videos, so entertainment was nonexistent.

This might have been the hardest period of his new life.

But—

It was the same for Douma.

【Hey, brat…】

(…)

【I know you can hear me, brat…!】

(…)

【You little… Don’t you dare ignore me, you miserable wretch!!】

(Ugh… Here comes another possession attempt…)

And then, one day—

【Hey, brat… Tell me something… What the hell is going on here?】

(“Huh?”)

【You’re not really a baby, are you?】

(…!)

【I knew it from the start. There’s no way I, the great Douma, would be resisted by an infant’s soul.】

(“Ah… Well… yeah, I guess that’s true…”)

【Wait, seriously!? Then—who the hell are you!?】

(“I’m… me.”)

(Not exactly a lie… I think.)

【That’s not what I’m asking, damn it!!】

(Ugh… Another possession attempt…)

And then, another time—

(“Hey, Douma…”)

【H-Huh? The brat actually started a conversation? This is new…】

(“Yeah, maybe… Anyway, I wanted to ask you something.”)

【Hmph… What is it?】

(“Douma… what exactly do you hate so much?”)

【…What?】

(“You must have some deep grudge, right? I mean, you wouldn’t be cursing people left and right for no reason.”)

【Brat…! Do you seriously know nothing about me!?】

(“Uh… Yeah. Not a clue.”)

【At Least Learn Some History, You Fool!】

(Ugh… Here we go again with another possession attempt…)

Every time they had a conversation, Douma would inevitably try to take control at the end, making things rather exhausting.

But to be honest, during this period of endless boredom, Kai actually found Douma to be a decent conversation partner.

…And the same could be said for Douma.

◇

“Kai! Happy birthday!”

His mother cheerfully embraced him, her voice full of joy.

“Daah~” (Ah, thanks… This is a bit embarrassing, though.)

Kai had officially turned one year old.

By this age, some children could stand on their own and even say a few words.

As for Kai, he could already walk with ease.

However, his speech was still underdeveloped—his tongue just couldn’t keep up with forming proper words yet.

But at the very least, he could now gesture to ask for things like TV or videos.

(Has it really been a whole year…?)

Kai reflected on the strangeness of the past year.

First and foremost—this world itself.

There was still much he didn’t fully understand, but one thing was certain:

The world had undergone a major transformation.

With access to TV and videos, Kai had been able to gather a significant amount of information, rapidly expanding his understanding of this new reality.

One fact stood out—

The timeline had reset to the year 2010, the year he had been born in his past life.

And since a year had passed, it was now April 3, 2011—his first birthday.

Amidst all these differences, some things had remained unchanged.

First—he was still born in Tokyo.

Second—his family composition was the same.

(Wait… can I even call this a past life? Could this be some kind of time loop? But I definitely died before, so… yeah, for convenience, I’ll just call it my past life.)

“Kai, you’re so cute, aren’t you~?”

(Ugh, Dad, you’re way too close!)

His parents’ appearances and names were exactly the same as before.

But their circumstances were completely different.

In his past life, they had been ordinary office workers—a salaryman and an OL.

But in this world, they were exorcists.

And not just any exorcists—they were members of one of the Seven Great Exorcist Clans of Japan.

(To be honest, in my past life, I always thought “Shirakami” sounded like a really cool surname, but that it didn’t suit our boring, ordinary family… And now, it actually belongs to a prestigious household?)

Kai smirked internally at the irony.

But more importantly—

His parents being exorcists meant that this world was one where evil spirits and monsters were a part of daily life.

These entities were collectively referred to as “Reima”—Spiritual Demons.

In fact, news reports on TV frequently covered Reima attacks, treating them as commonplace as crime reports.

At the same time, natural disasters, which had been common in his past life’s Japan, were far less frequent in this world.

That was the single biggest difference between the two versions of Japan.

But—

“Kai… Thank you for being born… You are my greatest treasure.”

“Mayumi… Before Kai was born, I never knew… that there could be something in this world I’d never want to lose.”

“…You’re absolutely right…”

Even though so much had changed, there were some things that remained the same.

In his past life, Kai’s parents had died when he was six.

By the time he became an adult, he had forgotten what it felt like to have them around.

(…They’re such doting parents.)